Retarded heater and meter connection



May 12, 1925.`

W. S. JACKSON RETARDED HEATER AND METER CONNECTION Filed June 2'?,A1919'l Patented May l2, 1925.

UNlTiEilE EATES? @MCE WILLIAM STEELL JACKSON, 035' BALA, PENNSYLVANIA,ASSIGNOR- TO YARNALL-'WAR- ING COMPANY, OF EHILADELHA, PENNSYLV-l, A,CRO'BTION 0F PENN- SYLVANIA.

RETARDED HEATER AND METER CONNECTION.,

-. Application filed .Tune 27, 1919. Serial No. 307,157.

To all whom t may concern.:

Be it known that l, WILLIAM STEELL JACKSON, a citizen of the UnitedStates, residing at 127 Upland rierrace, Bala, in the county ofMontgomery and State of Pennsylvania, have invented a certain new anduseful Retarded Heater and Meter Connection, of whichthe followinois aspecili-V cation.

My invention relates to weir meters intended to measure water or otherliquid having a temperature in excess of 2120 Fahrenheit.

The purpose of my invention is to secure flow of steam from the' steamspace of the heater or from the steam system back of the heater into thewater space of the meter at pressures above the atmosphere; to slightlyretard flow betweenthe steam space of the heater or system and the waterspace of the meter while providing for a'general conformation ofpressure and temperature; to utilize the steam flow into the water inthe meter for the purpose of heating and mixing the water and, whereuniformity of feed water temperature is desired, to protect againstcounterfiow of fluid when temporary conditions of vacuum or'lowervgressure than in the meter exist in the heater, maintaining thepressures above the atmosphere and temperatures above 212c Fahren heitin the meter which have been obtained and reducing the fluctuations ofpressure and temperature in the meter.

Further purposes of my invention will appear in the specification andthe claims thereof. Y

I have preferred to illustrate my invention by a form thereof, which ispractical, efficient and inexpensive and which at the same time wellillustrates the principles thereof.

Figure 1 is a partly broken front elevation of the preferred form of myconstruction.

Figure 2 is a rear elevation of a portion of the construction shown inFigure 1 but upon a reduced scale. y n

Figure 3 is a vertical section of the meter through the inletcompartment thereof.

Figure 4 is a reduced horizontal section of the meter.

Figure 5 is a broken side elevation showing a modification,

Similar numerals of reference indicate like parts in the drawings.

l/Vhere water is available for boiler feed at a pressure above that ofthe atmosphere and a temperature in excess of 212O F., it is usuallysubject to considerable fluctuation in pressure and temperature becauseof the meter the pressures and temperatures ofthe heater where these areabove the atmosphere and V212o F. and to avoid-lower pressures in themeter,`reducing the range of pressure fluctuation there. My inventionmakes possible either of these and also gets the full benefit of theheating effect of any flow from the heater to the meter.

A connection between the steam space of the heater and the steam spaceof the meter which has been provided is objectionable because of theexcessive fluctuation.

l connect the steam space of the heater or of the exhaust system back ofthe heater witha water space of the meter, preferably well below thewater level. done by connection into the meter with either of the twowater spaces-within the Weir chamber or within the catch basin. Each hasits advantage. rlhe connection within the weir chamber adds any waterwhich may be condensed to the water above the weir, but requiresprotection to the weir chamber surface against fluctuation by reason ofthe inlet vapor. Connection below the catch basin water level givesgreater possible depth of water over the point of inlet withoutdisturbance ofthe wer surface, but with the disadvantage fromtheoretical standpoints at least of passing through without measurementany water which is condensed.

1 designates a feed water heater, havingl steamcompartment 2 and watercompartment 3. The feed water enters through pipe (l and the steamsystem, usually ex This can bev haust, is represented by the single pipe5. The heater contains the usual float-operated inlet water control bymeans of rod e' and valve 7 and the float-controlled overtlow throughvalve 8 moved by rod. 9. A valve 10 is provided by which the inlet steammay be shut ott and the water height is indicated in glass 11.

All ot this heater construction -is old and is selected merely as one ofvarious 'forms since I must illustrate my invention in connection withsome one form. The meter, per se, is also old and is for the same reasonselected as illustrative or" one ot many forms ot weir meter inconnection with which my invention may be utilized. is shown, itcontains the receiving` chamber 12 and storage chamber 13 in which'thewater spaces are represented at 1e and 15 respectively.v The Weir isshown at 16 and easing tor tioatoperated recording` mechanism is shownat 17. The Weir chamber is provided with a gauge glass 13 and the vacuumbreak 19 and thermostatic valve i0.

The pipe 21 conveys the water trom the teed water heater te thereceivingchamber of the weir and may be provided with check valve 22when it is desired to prevent movement ot water in the reversedirection.

'This check valve I believe has not been used by others prior to my useoit it. It in no lway atlects the control valve hereinatter describedexcept as it prevents reverse flow through it.

rl`he pipe .21 is also provided with an automatic valve 23, operated byan arm not shown.l lever rod 25, an arm notshown, and float 26 to contrl the inlet ot water from' the heater to the receiving chamber inreverse proportion to the height oit water in the storage chamber orcatch basin. I provide for control ot the operation ot the pimip 27 alsoirom float, preferably from rod by valve QS within thesteam pipe 29 otthe pump, whereby the withdrawal 'ot water from the water space ot' thestorage chamber through pipe 3G is also controlled to revent excessiveVloweringr ot the water therein.

rllhe valvev 28 is operated by the rod 25 to wl ich it is connected byan arm 31 and rod 32. These features ot automatic control ot inlet andoutlet are shown at more length in United States Patent No. 1.159,14?.issued November 2, 1915, to David Robert Yarnall, for weir meterconstruction and inlet regulation. y f

In order to permit vflow ot water about the Weir in emergency, a by-pass33 is provided, controlled by any suitable valve 34.

. The meter end ot the connection between the` heater and meter providedby my invent-ion may be connected either within the weirv chamberV orwithin the catch basin ot the weir. Where within the catch basin itdirections.

can be used either with a catch basin wholly in front of the weir orwith the so-called extra storage type oit catch basin shown in Figure 1,in whichv case I prefer to maintain the water level in the storage orcatch basin/chamber Vbelow the bottom 35 of the receiving chamber.

I use a connection 36 between the steam space 2 lof the heater (by pipe36 controlled by valve 362) or the steam system 5 back oi the. heaterand one ot the water spaces ot the meter, at 37 enteringVA (Figure 5)within the storagev or catch basin chamber and Well below the waterlevel maintained in the chamber within which it is placed. Any steamventerim; this water 'trom the heater or steam system has a heatingetl'ect uponl the water and I desire to secure this heating etl'ecteither in the water above the weir or inthe water ot the chamber tromwhich pump withdrawal occurs.

Another advantage is obtained by attaching this connection at the lowerpart ot the pool above the weir or of the catch basin water space, asthe steam tends to mixthe water more thoroughly than would otherwise besecured. avoiding;- stratification orf the water with the hottest wateron top and supplying somewhat warmer water tor the hot v.'ell. In theillustration iny Figures 1 and 3 the point 37 is selected near the endof the chamber above the Weiror storage space farthest from the Weir sothat the nalermay be mixed to the best advantage; at one end by the weirflow and at the other end by the steam. v

I have shown a portion ot the connection 36 as vertical at 38 or 38.though it. could obviously extend in any one ot differing I have .placeda Vcheck valve or 39 in the connection 36. preferablvbelow the levelofthe water in the weil1l chamber or storage compartment so that water,and not steam, will engage the checl upon the under side very quickly,in case ot any tendency t reverse fluid tloiv in the connection 36.since the check valve may be made more sensitive to water vtlowrthan tosteam How. During some parts ot the operation water may even lie againstthis check valve upon the under side, as when the pressure in the heaterhas gradually reduced` while that in the meter has not. i

At any other suitable point I have Einserted a hand valve 40 within theconnection 36 and I have shown the connection as entering the top andsideL ot the heater and the steam system 5, controlled by hand valves4:1, 362 and 42 respectively, in order that any ot these sources ofsteam may be n utili-Zed. y f

yWhere the steam is taken from any part ot the steam system back ot theheater, it should be taken from apartv of the system wherr the oil hasbeen separated out of the steam, or :x separator for the oil should beprovided.

lhere the amount of possible difference in pressure by which thepressure in the meter may exceed that in the heater at times with myconnection 36 operating with a check valve in it, is greater than theweight of the column of water effective upon the water inlet 21 in theheater, the use of the check valve 22 is desirable to prevent ow ofsteam or water from the receiving cham' ber of the weir to the waterspace of the heater.

I purpose introducing my Vconnection 36 well below what might be calledthe'normal low water level, meaning thereby that level which iscontemplated as the lowest reached in the normal operation of the`meter. I also contemplate the use of any suitable check valve, inmaking the connection 36 a one way connection where this one way featureis desired. rl`he same is true o-f valve 22.

I recognize that each of the check valves is of advantage under certainconditions without the other; and the check valve 22 may be usedadvantageously to prevent vacuum conditions in the meter due to heaterconnection through the main water inlet, even where no connection is runfrom the steam space of the heater to a water space of the meter.

Though the two check valves offer some advantages for special purposes,as indi 2r cated, the connection 36 is advantageous whether either orboth of Vthe valves be used or not, presenting a damped or retardedcommunication between the meter and heater which keeps the two nearlyequal in pressure at the same time that it prevents the rapidity offluctuation between them which would otherwise occur.

As the water receives no heat in the meter and its passage through themeter causes a gradual cooling of the water, the average of heat andpressure in the heater will be higher than that in the meter and theretardation of flow caused by the water in the connection between willmaintain a. slight additional average temperature and pressure in theheater above that in the meter, without destroying the generalparallelism of heat and pressure conditions in the two. The slightaverage additional pressure in the heater, corresponding with the highertemperature there, assists in feeding the heater water into the meter.

The connection 36 may be made large enough to allow ready fluid passageor may Y be reduced deliberately to throttle the communication so as toreduce the speed of fluctuation in the meter, slowing it with respect tothe fluctuations in the heater, with or without the use of a check valvein this connection.

There may be advantage in being able to control the local vacuumconditions of the meter without affecting any vacuum which may exist inthe heater. y

Having thus described my invention, what I claim as new and desire tosecure by Letters Patent is:

l. In an open feed water heater and weir meter assemblage in which thewater space of the feed water heater is connected w-ith the inlet orweir section of the metery and the feed water for boilers is withdrawnfrom the catch basin section of the meter, the novelty which consists inconnecting the steam space of the feed water heater with oneof the waterspaces of the mete-r at a point below the water level in said waterspace.

2. In the invention set forth in claim 1, the novelty which consists inmaintaining pressure secured within the meter casing and preventingdouble metering of water by placing a check valve within the connectionwith the water space of the meter.

3. In the invention set forth in claim 1, the novelty which consists inmaking the connection with the catch basin section of the meter andcontrolling the withdrawal of water from the catch basin through thewater level therein, to maintain said water level above the point ofconnection.

4. In the invention set forth in claim 2, the novelty which consists inmaking the connection with the catch basin section of the meterandcontrolling the withdrawal of water from the catch basin through thewater level therein, to maintain said water level above the point ofconnection.

5. In the Ainvention as set forth in claim 4, the novelty whichconsistsin connecting the steam space of the feed water heater with oneof the water spaces of the meter y at a point below the water levelthereof.

6. In the invention as set forth in claim 5, the novelty which consistsin preventing back flow of water and maintaining pressures within themeter by placing a check valve within the connection to the water spaceof the meter.

WILLIAM STEELL JACKSON.

